El endocanibalismo en los rituales funerarios del pueblo yanomamo

Abstract

The yanomamo people are configured as a society with a rich and complex world view, which causes a peculiar way of understanding and interpreting the world. Within this cultural system, the funeral rituals are articulated as a complex practice whereby the yanomami society, establishes a connection between various aspects of their beliefs on life and death. One of the central elements of these funeral rituals, is the practice of endocannibalism, a key fact which facilitates the understanding of the cultural meaning of death, within the yanomami society. This practice is done during an intercommunity meeting, were various political alliances and trades are conducted. In our work, through the analysis of yanomamo´s endocannibalism, we aimed to address in depth, the study of funeral rituals carried out by this society. The intake of "vital principle" present in the individual (pei ke my amo), which is the essence of the funeral ritual ceremony during intercommunity meeting (reaho), is not only the spiritual sublimation of the group, but also the genesis of material ties, political alliances and trade essential to the very survival of the group. And it is from this new sociocultural perspective, that the meaning of endocannibalism in funeral rituals of the pueblo yanomamo acquires importance